EGYPT: Academics threaten pay strikes

A recent admission by Egypt's Minister of Higher Education that the salaries of lecturers at public universities are "paltry" has not mollified them. Indeed, academics are angrier than before and have threatened more protests to pressure the government to substantially increase their salaries.

"The financial status of lecturers at public universities will trigger a real crisis in the near future because the authorities do not pay enough attention to improving their financial situation," said Ali Barakat, a professor of engineering at Alexandria University, one of 18 state-owned universities in Egypt.

"Cleaning workers receive wages higher than those paid to lecturers at [public] universities," he added.

During a recent meeting with teaching staff at the government-run Fayyoum University in southern Egypt, Minister of Higher Education Hani Helal said he was aware that salaries and pensions "do not suit the prestige of university lecturers".

Pledging greater efforts to prod the authorities to increase lecturers' salaries, Helal said that as an ex-university teacher he receives a monthly pension of LE623 (some US$113). "Does this reward the efforts of a university teacher who has devoted his life to academic teaching?" he asked.

Lecturers, however, dismiss the minister's talk as just soothing words. They want action.

"We have been hearing such promises for the past two years, to no avail," said Moustafa Hamed, a professor of chemistry. "Even the modest pay rises announced by the government more than a year ago in the wake of a strike are not paid on a regular basis.

"The government is not serious about ameliorating the financial situation of university lecturers and helping them to lead a decent life amid the soaring costs of living," he added.

Last March, angry lecturers went on a strike for one hour at several public universities to demand better wages. But the strike failed to elicit much support, which the organisers attributed to government ploys to undermine it.

For example on 23 March last year, the day of the protest, administrators at Cairo University, Egypt's largest public university, organised a big festival in which loudspeakers were used. This prompted protesting lecturers to end their strike earlier than planned.

"The administrators of the university acted upon the minister's orders to abort the strike. Their behavior was like that of militias," said Dr Mousafa Abdel Gelil, a founder of the March 9 Movement, a group pushing for independence for Egypt's public universities.

"We cannot act like them. The government has lost its mind and opted for suppression," he was quoted as saying in the local media.

Lecturers, however, are not discouraged. "The symbolic stoppage held on 23 March was just the beginning of escalation in action by university lecturers against a failed system, which is trying to drive a wedge among academics," said Dr Mohamed Gamal, a medical researcher.

According to academic activists, a full-day strike is planned at all public universities on 22 April. They have also vowed to stop supervising year-end examinations and marking answer sheets in protest against what they describe as the government's failure to keep promises to drastically raise their salaries.

"The government should increase allocations for higher education and scientific research," said Yehia el-Qazaz, a professor of science at Helwan University in southern Cairo and a member of the March 9 Movement. "The government should also build more universities to cope with the increase in the numbers of students, as well as embark immediately on raising the basic salaries of academics."